Composite gear



Feb. 4, 1930. T. FREDERICK 1,745,571

COMPOS ITE GEAR Filed June 17, 1927 yiimwfs.

f/v Vfw Tof? 4vPatented Feb. 4, 19.30

UNITED STATES PATENT ori-lcs LOUIST. FREDERICK, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA,ASSIGNOR TO FIBROC'INSULATION COMPANY, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA, ACORPORATION OF INDIANA COMPOSITE GEAR Appneatin ined :une 17,

My invention relates to composite gears conslsting of laminations offibrous material and a binding substance such as a phenol condensationproduct. In laminated gears, especially in gears of the larger sizes orin gears of either large or small sizes in which the available room onthe shaft is limited, and -also in lthose cases where it is desired tolighten the gear, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the centralportion of vthe gear, thus producing a rim section of the full width orthickness of the gear and a central or web section which is thinner.Various methods have been attempted for producing such gears having areduced web section. cordin to one method the surplus material is macined away, but this method is expensive by reason of the waste of thematerial which is removed. According to another construction of suchgears, rings of fabric have been employed and these have beeninter-leaved or alternated with the peripheral portion of completediscs, the rings thickening the rim portion and building up the gears atthis part. This construction, however, is defective in that the sheetsof fabric are distorted during manufacture, and it is impossible,commercially speaking at least, to produce a gear wheel in which thecross section will be uniform. If it is not uniform the gear whenrotating will tend to run out of true. The gear being unbalanced willhave a tendency to wobble and this will result in excessive wear atcertain points, thus rendering the gear noisy and shortlived.

The object of my invention is to produce a gear having a web sectionwhich is of reduced thickness but which will lend itself to readymanufacture and will make it possible under commercial conditions toproduce a gear in which the cross section on any given plane will besymmetrical and the sections on all diametral planes will be the same.An-

other obj ect is to produce such a gear in which the structure isthoroughly unied and of maximum strength for its weight.

In my gear the web section is formed from a set of sheets or layers alllying in parallel planes and the thickened rim section is 1.927. SerialNo. 199,494.

formed by adding, outside of the web section, a plurality of ringsarranged in parallel planes and held .under compression by suitablebinding means, preferably a phenol condensation product.

I accomplish my objects in the manner illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is a view of a suitable type of mold shownin diametral section. In this figure the plunger or dies are shown ininitial position, that is, at the beginning of their compressive action,

Figure 2 is similar to Figure 1 but shows the mold closed up, that is,with the dies in final position,

Figure 3 is a diametral section of my blank,

Figure 4 is a View of my gear partly in diametral section,

Figure 5 is a side view of the gear,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating more or lessdiagrammatically the arrangement of the component parts of the gear.

Like numerals denote like parts through the several views.

Generally speaking, my gear blank consists of central laminations 10,which extend clear through to the periphery of the gear, and peripherallaminations 12 which form the rim of the gear and are built uppreferably on both sides of the central laminations., The laminations 10may be either imperforate disks or rings. The peripheral laminations 12are preferably complete rings but they may comprise segments or notchedstrips as disclosed in my co-pending application Serial N o. 174,688,filed March 11, 1927, and it will be understood that all of thelaminations con` sist of woven fabric impregnated with unreactedcondensation product serving as a binder in the well known manner. Theselaminations are afterward solidified and converted to a unitarystructure by means of heat and pressure.

A suitable method for producing the gear blank is shown in my Patent1,626,230, granted April 26th, 1927, and for the sake of illustration Ihave here shown apparatus in which it may be carried out. In thisapparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 there is an outer cylindrical shell14, open top and bottom. Within this shell there is a lower ring plunger16 andan upper ring plunger 18; Fitting within these plungers arecylindrical plungers 20 and 22, which arechamberedto receive helicalcompression springs 24.. The parts 14: and 16 normally rest upon anysuitable support 26 and the pressure is obtained from,V

the platen 28 of any suitable type of press. Platen 28 is hollow andsteam heated through a duct 30.

Vhen this apparatus isused, to charge the mold I first place in it astack of the rings l2 then a stack of disks 10,l and then another stackof rings 12. The pressing parts of the mold are then assembled as shownin Figure 1. Pressure and heat are then applied which finally bring theparts to the position and condition shown in Fi re 2.

It is desirable that the parts of the press or mold be so designed thatin the lfinal gear blank the web and rim portions will be compressed andcured to the same density throughout. This not only gives uniformwearing qualities but gives a perfectly balanced gear and one which willrun true when rotating at high speed. It will be evident that in a gearbuilt up in this'manner the laminations will be free from distortion.The gear will also have a high degree o f strength because the centrallaminations extend cornpletely through to the periphery thus avoidlngany possibility of imperfect union between the web portion and the rimportion.`

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A laminated gear blank composed of woven fabric treated .withphenolic condensation product, said blank comprising a stack of disksextending from the hub of the gear to the periphery so as to form theweb and a part of the rim, the rim having additional rings or segmentalelements superposed on each face of the peripheral portions of the diskto increase its thickness, and said web portion and rim portion being ofsubstantially equal density.

2. A laminated gear blank composed of 4woven fabric and a phenoliccondensation binder, said blank being thicker at the rim than at thecentralportion, the thinner web portion consisting of fiat continuoussheets eX- y tending to the circumference of the blank, and the rimportion being composed of fiat peripheral laminations, the Whole beingconsolidated and hardened to form a unitary structure and said webportion and rim portion being of substantially equal density.

3. A gear composed of a plurality of layers of fibrous material, thelayers all being in stack of layers of fabric material extending fromthe hub of the gear blank to the periphery anl providing a disc formingthe web and a part of the rim, additional layers of fabric forming aring of fabric superposedon a face of the peripheral portions of thedisc to increase its thickness, said layers being treated wit-h asuitable resinous binder and compacted vto form a unitary gear blankhaving web and rim portions of substantially equal density. v

5. A gear composed of a plurality of layers of woven fibrous material insuperimposed relation, the layers all lying in planes paralleling theplane of the gear, certain of the intermediate layers of the rimextending inwardly to the center of the gear to form the web and a partof the thickness of the rim section, said layers being treated with asuitable resinous binder and being consolidated into a single unitarymass without any planes of cleavage and having web and rim portions ofsubstantially equal density.

In witness Lvl1ereof,I have hereunto subscribed my name.

LOUIS T. FREDERICK.

planes parallel to the plane of the gear, the.

